Advances in agricultural seeding machinery have made it possible to seed large swaths of farmland with each pass of a seeding machine. Air seeders typically include a dry holding tank for maintaining seeding material and a hose with applicator for applying the seeding material into furrows or blowing seeding material onto the surface of a prepared field. Modern air seeders may further include controls that allow the operator to configure the machine. Further, air seeders may allow simultaneous application of seed, fertilizers, and any other material useful in ensuring rapid germination and healthy growth cycle.
Optical monitoring systems can detect and count the number of seeds dispensed or planted by the seeder, or the planting density of the seeds, for each row of the planter or the entire planter.